Method and system for universal gift registry

ABSTRACT

A gift registry providing a partial payment option for gift givers and a mandatory and contingent gift substitution for gift recipients. The gift recipient registers any type of gift idea from any store or establishment, for any occasion with an associated gift amount in the registry. The registrant is able to name their own gift price by selecting a gift amount not necessarily the same as the retail cost of the gift idea. The gift recipient also indicates whether they will accept a contingent substitute of gift or cash if the system is unable to provide the gift idea at the gift amount. The recipient can also select mandatory substitution of gift or cash. The difference between mandatory and contingent substitution is that mandatory substitution automatically occurs while contingent substitution occurs if and only if the selected gift is unavailable at the specified gift amount or could not be delivered in time. In effect, mandatory substitution for cash allows the registrant to arrange for automatic gift return and receipt of a cash gift. Gift givers are able to review gift ideas and associated gift amounts and select them. A gift giver is also able to select a gift idea and make a partial contribution toward purchase of the gift idea. This allows higher cost gifts to be purchased by multiple gift givers and thereby provides recipients and givers with greater flexibility in their gift selection. When a mandatory or contingent substitution for cash is provided, the system includes incentives, such as coupons. The coupons or incentives are independently profitable and help to offset the cost of managing the mandatory and contingent substitutions.

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.60/138,538, filed on Jun. 10, 1999, for, UNIVERSAL GIFT REGISTRY METHODAND SYSTEM, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This inventions relates to the field of data processing in a businesstransaction and more particularly to a gift registry system and method.

2. Background Information

Gift registries are known and used in a number of different markets,with the most common area being wedding registries. Typically, theseregistries are provided by a large store or establishment, with a numberof different departments in the store. When the store has multiplelocations, it is also known to provide some form of link (electronic orotherwise) between the stores so that a gift recipient (the registrant)can register in one store and gift givers can review items on theregistry and make purchases at another store. When the registry spans anumber of different locations, the method and technique for maintaininginformation on items purchased from the registry and remainingunpurchased is often not well managed. Accordingly, it is possible thatdifferent people purchase the same item for a recipient from differentlocations on the same day and the problem is not discovered until aregistry update is performed at the end of the day or week. It is commonfor the department store to maintain the registry in a book in the storewhere the recipient registers and periodically update that book whengifts are purchased. Accordingly, recipients and gift givers are betterserved when registry information is updated automatically and innear-real-time.

Traditional store or establishment based gift registries seldom providediscounted prices. In fact, the ability to charge gift givers retailprices for items that are commonly. discounted is often cited as anattractive feature of the gift registry business. (see for example, pg.37, The Knot Inc., S-1, Sep. 19, 1999, “Because items are selected bythe engaged couple but paid for by their guests, price sensitivity isminimal and registry products are rarely discounted by retailers.”)Accordingly, recipients and gift givers are better served whenregistries provide access to discounted prices or special sales.

Traditional store or establishment based gift registries seldom provideout-of-season access to seasonal products. Recipients may add a seasonalitem to their registry (e.g., barbecue sets, skis, patio furniture)however, these items may no longer be in stock when gift givers attemptto purchase them. Accordingly, recipients and gift givers are betterserved when registries provide access to seasonal items without regardto season.

Traditional store or establishment based gift registries have asignificant gift return volume, with the associated return expense. Infact, in traditional registries, a major expense is the cost of handlingreturns. To manage this expense, registries frequently imposerestrictive return policies. Registrants return gifts for many reasons.Some have received duplicate gifts either within the registry or outsideof the registry. Others may have changed their minds and want adifferent pattern or model. Still others may simply wish to do their ownshopping, perhaps on-line at an auction site, or postpone theirpurchase, and therefore wish to convert the gift to cash. Sometimesrecipients know before a gift is ordered or shipped, that they wish toreturn it. However, a traditional registry does not provide a means toreturn a gift before it is ordered or sent, and often have restrictivereturn policies for gifts that have been sent. Even when stores haverelaxed return policies, the recipient must still locate the receipt,and physically transport the gift, or arrange shipping, to the store atconsiderable cost and inconvenience. Therefore, both gift registries andrecipients want to avoid the expense involved in returning a gift. Giftgivers want to minimize inconvenience to the recipient and give a giftthat can be conveniently returned by the recipient and exchanged forsomething they really want. Accordingly, all parties are better servedwhen the gift return process can be made more convenient and efficient.

Traditional store or establishment based gift registries require that agift giver purchase an entire gift, not part of a gift. For example, agift giver may purchase one fork, or one plate, or one platter. However,the gift giver is unable to purchase part of platter, or contribute tothe purchase of a plate. As an example, in a traditional registry, thegiver can't contribute $250.00 toward purchase of a $4985.00 computer.The gift giver may also have a certain budget ceiling for a gift andwill only purchase gifts that are equal to or less than that ceiling.Because they are not able to purchase part of a gift, they select a giftfrom the registry that has a cost less than their ceiling. Thedifference between the cost of the gift and the giver's gift costceiling is never spent. Accordingly, recipients and gift givers arebetter served when a registry allows multiple givers to make partialcontributions toward a gift purchase.

Traditional store or establishment based gift registries are unable tohandle gifts that are not available within their establishment. Arecipient who wants both a computer and silverware must generallyregister with two different stores. Having to register at multipleregistries creates problems for both the recipient and the gift giver.The recipient would prefer to avoid the inconvenience and cost of havingto visit, establish and maintain multiple registries. The gift giver isalso less inclined to visit multiple establishments in an attempt topurchase a gift on the registry. Accordingly, recipients and gift giversare better served when a single registry accommodates all of therecipient's desired gifts.

Traditional gift registries are also unable to handle gifts for which avalue can be calculated, but which are not generally available fromstores. For example, “a lifetime subscription to Sports Illustrated”,“movie tickets to episode 3 of Star Wars”, or “ice cream at the EiffelTower on a summer afternoon”. However, recipients may wish to receivesuch gifts in their registry, and gift givers may wish to purchase suchgifts for recipients. Accordingly, both recipients and gift givers arebetter served when such gifts may be registered and purchased from agift registry.

Traditional store or establishment based gift registries do not allow asimple cash gift. A recipient may prefer a cash gift so they can make adonation to a favorite charity, make a down-payment on a house, defertheir purchase of material goods until they have chosen a place tosettle, or purchase a particular gift on their own from an on-lineauction site or outlet mall. A gift giver may be willing to give a cashgift, but wants the recipient to benefit from the data processingcapabilities of the registry, is uncertain as to the exact amountrequired, or wants to know the purpose of the cash gift. Accordingly,recipients and gift givers are better served when cash is an availableoption for a gift.

Traditional store or establishment based gift registries do not allowgift substitutions. A recipient may identify a particular gift in theregistry, but be interested in other gifts if that gift is not availableor is replaced by a more advanced model. Those other gifts could berelated to the identified gift (different make/model/price).Alternatively, the other gifts could be very different from theidentified gift (cash instead of the good or service). The gift givermay be willing to give alternative, or substitute gifts, but feeluncomfortable identifying a range of different gifts if the prices arenot all the same. The gift registry may be interested in providing agood or service even if it is a substitute gift, rather than simplybrokering a cash gift. Accordingly, all parties to the gift registry arebetter served when options for gift substitutions are provided.

Systems and methods to provide distributed access to a gift registry areneeded. Systems and methods to provide registry of diverse goods andservices, including items that are not traditionally considered forgifts are needed. Systems and methods to provide real-time updates tothe gift registry are needed. Systems and methods to reduce theincidence of duplicate gifts are needed. Systems and methods to providean opportunity for gift givers to make a partial contribution or partialpurchase of an item on a gift registry are needed. Systems and methodsto allow recipients to register all their gifts in one location insteadof multiple gift registries are needed. Systems and methods to allow arecipient to receive cash instead of a good or service are needed.Systems and methods to reduce or eliminate the cost of gift returns areneeded. Systems and methods to allow a recipient to automaticallyconvert the gift to cash without the expense of the traditional returnprocess are needed. Systems and methods to allow a recipient to set agift amount for a gift idea are needed. These and other disadvantages ofthe existing systems are addressed by the instant invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect, the invention provides a method and system for receivinga purchase request for a gift from a gift giver with an associatedpurchase amount. The system determines whether to satisfy the purchaserequest with a purchase or a gift substitution option.

In one aspect, the invention provides a method and system for receivinga first purchase request with an associated first purchase amount from afirst gift giver, and receiving a second purchase request with anassociated purchase amount from a second gift giver. The first andsecond purchase amounts are aggregated to satisfy the first or secondpurchase request.

In one aspect, the invention provides a method and system for receivinga gift idea with an associated gift amount from a gift recipient andreceiving a commitment from a gift giver to a purchase request in anamount that is less than the gift amount. The commitment of the giftgiver serving as a partial satisfaction of the gift amount.

In one aspect, the invention provides a method and system for receivinga purchase request for a gift from a gift giver. The system determineswhether to satisfy the purchase request with a purchase or a giftsubstitution option.

In one aspect, the invention provides a method and system for receivinga gift purchase request for a gift from a gift giver with an associatedpurchase amount. The system provides the purchase request to vendors, ormakes the purchase request available to vendors using a remote accesssystem. The purchase request includes a firm offer with an associatedoffer amount.

In one aspect, the invention provides a method and system for receivinga gift idea from a gift recipient and receiving a gift amount which isdetermined by the recipient and is associated with the gift idea.

In each of the above aspects, alternatives are provided where the giftsubstitution option includes cash as a gift, and coupons may be includedwith the cash or the gift. Multiple gift givers may contribute to thepurchase amounts toward the purchase request. An on-line system providesone of the methods and systems, and provides access to multiple vendors.The vendors products and services provide gift ideas for the recipient,with associated sales prices. Both established vendors and ad-hocvendors participate and various vendor contact techniques are provided,including parallel contact, serial contact and auctions.

The foregoing specific aspects and advantages of the invention areillustrative of those which can be achieved by the present invention andare not intended to be exhaustive or limiting of the possible advantagesthat can be realized. Thus, the aspects and advantages of this inventionwill be apparent from the description herein or can be learned frompracticing the invention, both as embodied herein or as modified in viewof any variations which may be apparent to those skilled in the art.Accordingly the present invention resides in the novel parts,constructions, arrangements, combinations and improvements herein shownand described.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The foregoing features and other aspects of the invention are explainedin the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanyingfigures wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of the system of the instant invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment of the steps for gift recipientregistration in the instant invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment of the steps for gift giver access andselection of a gift in the instant invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment of steps relating to partial payment orsatisfaction of a purchase request in the instant invention;

FIG. 5 illustrates an embodiment of steps relating to vendor locationand satisfaction of a purchase request in the instant invention;

FIG. 6 illustrates a summary of an embodiment of steps relating toselection of vendors and satisfaction of the purchase request in theinstant invention;

FIG. 7 illustrates an embodiment of steps relating to categorizing giftsin the instant invention;

FIG. 8 illustrates an embodiment of steps relating to selection ofvendors to satisfy the purchase request in the instant invention;

FIG. 9 illustrates an embodiment of steps relating to sending purchaserequests to vendors to satisfy the purchase request in the instantinvention;

FIG. 10 illustrates an embodiment of steps relating to checking vendorresponses in the instant invention;

FIG. 11 illustrates an embodiment of steps relating to selection ofvendors to satisfy the purchase request in the instant invention;

FIG. 12 illustrates an embodiment of steps relating to a cash option inthe instant invention;

FIG. 13 illustrates an embodiment of steps relating to informing therecipient of gift shipment in the instant invention;

FIG. 14 illustrates a summary of an embodiment of steps relating toselection of vendors and satisfaction of the purchase request in theinstant invention;

FIG. 15 illustrates an embodiment of steps relating to selection ofvendors to satisfy the purchase request in the instant invention;

FIG. 16 illustrates an embodiment of steps relating to sending purchaserequests to vendors to satisfy the purchase request in the instantinvention; and

FIG. 17 illustrates an embodiment of steps relating to checking vendorresponses in the instant invention.

It is understood that the drawings are for illustration only and are notlimiting.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Terminology

A short summary of certain terms is provided here, to reduce some of thepotential questions with regard to those terms, as they are used in thespecification and claims. It is to be understood that this summary isprovided to assist the reader with understanding how the terms relate toeach other, but the summary does not restrict the meaning of the terms.The figures and specification more fully establish the meaning for theterms.

gift—cash, goods or services, that can be received by a recipient. Thegift may be anonymous. When the gift is other than cash, the registrypurchases or arranges purchase and provides the gift to the recipientusing funds provided by the giver. The registry may provide the gift tothe recipient, or the registry may provide the gift to the giver, whoarranges delivery to the recipient.

gift idea—a specific gift suggestion that is listed within a giftregistry to assist givers with a gift. The recipient provides oridentifies gift ideas when they register. Alternatively, others,including friends and relatives of the recipient, may provide the giftideas. Gift ideas are typically selected from a range of products orservices that are available from established vendors. However, there isno requirement that the gift idea be available from an establishedvendor. This allows ad-hoc vendors to participate in the system. Thisalso allows recipients to designate gift ideas from vendors who mightnot normally be associated with a gift registry.

gift amount—a specific cost or amount that is associated with aparticular gift idea. Just as the gift idea is normally provided by therecipient, so is the gift amount. The gift amount is typically the sameas or related to the retail cost of the associated gift idea from anestablished vendor. However, it is possible that the gift amount isdifferent from the retail cost of the gift idea. This difference in costmay be more or less than the retail cost. Within known gift registries,the gift amount is generally the retail cost of the gift idea. Theconcept of having a recipient include a gift amount within the giftregistry and allowing that gift amount to be different from the retailcost of the gift idea is one aspect of the invention.

giver—a person, party or organization intending to provide the gift tothe recipient. A giver is a user of the instant invention.

recipient—a person, party or organization that receives the gift fromthe giver. A recipient is a user of the instant invention.

coupon—something that accompanies a gift, a gift substitute, or cash ina cash option. The coupon normally represents an opportunity to receivesome good or service at a reduced price or under special circumstances.Use of a coupon in a gift registry, such as with a gift, a giftsubstitute or cash option is one aspect of the instant invention.

token—an item, other than the gift, which may be provided to the giver.The token may be as simple as a card including the giver'sidentification and associated gift that will be provided. Typically, thetoken serves as a representative of the gift, but is not an independentgift. A token in a gift registry is one aspect of the instant invention.

established vendor—a vendor that has a pre-established relationship withthe registry. Typically, the established vendor has provided a list ofitems that may serve as gift ideas, with associated costs. The,established vendor may provide this list directly, or may provide accessto their own database, such as through the Internet, to allow users ofthe system to browse and/or select gifts or gift ideas. An establishedvendor is a user of the inventive system.

ad-hoc vendor—a vendor that does not have a pre-established relationshipwith the registry. Typically, when the system contacts an ad-hoc vendorregarding a gift idea or purchase request, the ad-hoc vendor will thenbecome a user of the inventive system. An ad-hoc vendor relationship isone aspect of the instant invention.

purchase request—provided by the giver to the system indicating that thegiver desires to purchase a gift. A purchase request corresponds to agift idea. Recipients identify gift ideas to the system, givers providea purchase request to the system for the gift idea. The purchase requesthas an associated purchase amount that is also provided to the system bythe giver. The purchase request typically identifies a gift idea that islisted in the registry. The purchase request may be absolute, orconditional. A conditional purchase request is typically a commitment tothe purchase request, if some other event occurs or fails to occur. Anexample is with partial satisfaction of the purchase amount for thepurchase request, where if another giver fails to make a commitment tofund the remaining balance, the giver may withdraw their commitment tothat purchase request and associated purchase amount.

purchase amount—a financial value, such as a dollar amount, that isassociated with a purchase request. The giver provides the purchaseamount to the system in association with the purchase request. Just asthe purchase request correlates to a gift idea, the purchase amountcorrelates to the gift amount. If the purchase amount is less than thegift amount, the gift is normally considered to be a commitment orpartial satisfaction of the purchase amount. If the purchase amount ismore than the gift amount, the system will normally provide the excessas a cash option. A system that can accommodate a purchase amount thatis different from the gift amount is one aspect of the instantinvention.

gift substitution option—a substitute gift. The gift substitution optionis a particular type of transaction that is one aspect of the invention.

cash option—a gift in cash, rather than a good or service. The cashoption is a particular type of transaction that is one aspect of theinvention.

contingent substitution—a substitution that occurs as a result ofcertain conditions. The contingent substitution is a particular type oftransaction that is one aspect of the invention.

mandatory substitution—a substitution that occurs regardless of certainconditions. The mandatory substitution is a particular type oftransaction that is one aspect of the invention.

partial satisfaction—a purchase amount or a commitment to a purchaseamount that is less than the full gift amount. Partial satisfaction is aparticular type of transaction that is one aspect of the invention.

commitment—an assurance from a giver that they will provide a purchaseamount toward a purchase request of a gift idea. Typically, a givermakes a commitment when they are providing only a partial contributiontoward the full cost of the gift idea. The systems uses the commitmentfrom one giver to inform other givers that they can also contribute tothe full cost of the gift idea. This information thereby allows othergivers to also provide partial satisfaction of the full cost of thatgift idea. A commitment is a particular type of transaction that is oneaspect of the invention.

The preceding summary is not intended to be the only source ofdefinition for the terms. The specification, drawings and claims providefurther explanation and examples.

The present invention provides a number of unique advantages for giversand recipients. In one embodiment of the invention, gift recipientsregister multiple gift ideas with a gift registry. These multiple giftideas each include an associated gift amount to assist a prospectivegift giver in their selection of an appropriate gift from the list ofgift ideas. The system includes information from gift vendors to assistthe recipient and the giver in their selections.

In a preferred embodiment, the gift registry is an on-line system,though many of the concepts are adaptable to a conventional giftregistry. In the preferred embodiment, the on-line system links multipleinteractive sites using a variety of technologies to provide a wide-areasystem. This interconnection allows givers and recipients to access theon-line system through access means that include wired and wirelesscomputer connections; voice and data telecommunications connections;in-store systems; in-locale systems; and kiosk systems.

When a gift giver selects a gift using the system, they submit apurchase request for the gift with an associated purchase amount.Typically, the purchase amount is the same as the gift amount. However,in one embodiment, the giver may not be able to provide the full giftamount. Accordingly, their purchase amount may be less than the giftamount. The system is able to accommodate this less than fullsatisfaction of the purchase amount in a number of different ways.

It is also possible that when the recipient selects a gift idea andassociated gift amount, they identify a gift amount that is less thanthe amount that established vendors have indicated they will sell theitem. The recipient may have a number of reasons for identifying a giftamount that is less than the established price of the item. Therecipient may know of a source for the item where the cost is less thanestablished merchants, and is willing to purchase the gift themselves ifthey receive cash in that amount rather than the gift itself.Alternatively, the recipient may be unaware of an established cost ofthe gift idea, or the purchase price for the gift idea may increase. Forthese circumstances, and others, the system provides the giftsubstitution option and the cash option. With these options, the systemaccepts the giver's purchase request and associated purchase amount. Ifthe system is unable to satisfy the purchase request at the purchaseamount, the recipient is provided an opportunity to receive a substitutegift, or cash in the amount of the purchase amount. This allows thegiver to select a gift at the purchase amount, and allows the recipientto receive the gift, a substitute gift or purchase the gift using thecash from the cash option. These elements of the invention are describedin greater detail below.

Referring to FIG. 1, an embodiment of system 100 of the presentinvention includes a remote access on-line communication port 102, whichprovides remote access means for users, such as gift givers 106, giftrecipients 108, and vendors 110. In the embodiment illustrated in thefigures, the remote access is an on-line access via the Internet 104.However, it is understood that any form of access that provides thecapability for individuals to interact with the system is appropriatefor the instant invention.

The various users 106, 108, 110 connect to the Internet 104 using any ofthe known types of Internet access 112, including dial-up line, modem,wired connection, wireless connection, broad-band cable, fiber optic,public switched telephone network (PSTN), wide area network, and localarea network. As indicated, the type of connection is not unique to theinvention and it is envisioned that these and new types of connectionwill be available to users.

In the event that direct user access to system 100 using the Internet isnot appropriate or desired, it is also possible that users 106, 108, 110contact a representative 114 of system 100 using known forms of contact.These forms of contact 116 include wired and wireless telephony usingprivate and public networks, such as the PSTN.

System 100 also includes an access 118 to the Internet 104. However,system 100 requires greater access bandwidth to the Internet thanindividual users, given the greater demands of multiple users.Accordingly, it may be appropriate for access 118 to provide higherbandwidth at T-1 or T-3 megabit rates as compared to lower bandwidthrates of user access 112, which may be in the 50-100 kilobit rate.Regardless, the interconnection of users 106, 108, 110 and system 100will depend on many factors. Within the scope of the instant invention,the interconnection bandwidth can affect the quality and timeliness ofthe access, but it does not affect the overall invention.

Within system 100, a number of elements provide information storage andaccess. A router or routers 120 provides a connection between the systemnetwork 122 and the remote access network or interne 104. System network122 provides a broadband highspeed data and communication bus forindividual elements of system 100. Servers 124, 126, which are linked tosystem network 122, serve as the processing backbone of system 100. Thesoftware source code for system 100, as well as the interface to thesystem provided by these servers. Servers 124 and 126 are any of theknown and envisioned types of computer hardware/software. They includeprocessors, memory, input/output devices, and other assorted and knownperipherals. Typically, servers 124, 126 are general purpose computerprocessors that are customized by the software that is written, compiledand loaded into their memories through some form of storage medium.However, as the state of art changes, servers 124, 126 may become morespecialized, or may assume qualities that are not presently known.

In one embodiment, one group of web servers 124 that are powered by anapplication servers/services (examples include COLD FUSION, servlets,and ASP) supports the interactive media of the system. This includes theHTML code and underlying databases required for the web site, as well asthe server administration required for the site.

Another group of web servers 126 provide the financial or electroniccommerce support for system 100. These servers include encryption orprotection functions to rapidly and securely process user transactions.Servers 126 also support the required financial tracking and audit forsystem 100.

A group of data storage devices 128 are also interconnected to systemnetwork 122. These data storage devices provide storage as informationrepositories, and very little independent processing of information. Inthe embodiment of FIG. 1, data storage devices or servers 128 includeSQL databases with various information. One set of information includessupplier or vendor data 130. Another set of information includes systemdata 132. System data 132 includes data from individual users 106, 108,110, as well as data required by system 100. In the embodiment of FIG.1, the information in the supplier or vendor database 130 is provided byestablished vendors 110. However, it may be appropriate that theinformation in database 130 is not maintained within system 100, but isinstead available on distributed databases 134 that are availablethrough the multiple vendor locations.

In the embodiment of FIG. 1, users 106, 108, 110 remotely access system100 using the Internet. In another embodiment, system 100 is located ina centralized location, such as at a shopping mall, or a departmentstore. In this embodiment, users access system 100 with an inputterminal at the centralized location. System 100 has connections toother terminals at other centralized locations. In this embodiment arecipient in one city can identify gift ideas and gift amounts, whilegift givers in other cities can access the system to make purchaserequests with corresponding purchase amounts. While it is possible toimplement embodiments of system 100 within a single commercialestablishment, the benefits are more fully realized when multiplevendors 110 are users of the system. The advantage of multiple vendorsand more than a single establishment will be more apparent as the systemis more fully described.

Recipient Registration

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, in one embodiment, at step 202, aprospective gift recipient 108 accesses system 100 through some form ofremote on-line access, such as through the Internet 104 via theirinternet connection 112. In this embodiment, access is through a browserapplication, such as NETSCAPE or INTERNET EXPLORER, that is running onthe user's computer, WEBTV or wireless device.

Once connected to system 100, the recipient provides identifyinginformation regarding themselves and the circumstances surrounding theirregistration. For example, the system solicits the recipient's name,address, age and any personal likes or dislikes. System 100 uses some ofthis information for gift delivery and other information for marketingpurposes. Some, though not all recipient information is also availableto other users of system 100, including potential givers and vendors.System 100 also solicits the circumstances surrounding the giftregistration. This includes the type of event (wedding, birthday, barmitzvah, graduation, etc.) as well as information relating to the event(date, time, location, honeymoon location, indoor or outdoor party,etc.). This information, which is solicited from the recipient, becomespart of that recipient's data record that is maintained in database 132of server 128. Normally, the recipient provides the requestedinformation, but friends or relatives can also provide the information,such as for a child or for a surprise party.

At step 204, after the recipient provides the requested information,they are provided access to possible gift ideas, and gift amounts fromestablished vendors 110. System 100 may pre-screen or prioritize vendorsbased on recipient information. For example, vendors with products orservices that are commonly associated with a wedding may receive a highpriority display if the event is a wedding, but will have a lowerpriority display if the event is a child's birthday.

Information on the products and services that are available from vendor110 is either maintained in data records on database 130 of server 128,or is maintained in data records on database 134 available through thevendor location. However, because system 100 has access to eitherdatabase, the actual location of the information is transparent torecipient 108.

Recipient 108 reviews the products and services available fromestablished vendors 110 and the associated costs for those products andservices, as provided by the vendor. The cost associated with theproducts and services is normally the vendor's retail price for thatproduct or service. In this regard, system 100 performs functions thatare similar to a traditional in-store gift registry, where informationrelated to the recipient is collected by personnel at the store, alongwith information on the event. That information is used to assist therecipient with selection of gift ideas. However, in a traditional storeregistry, the collected information may not be available to givers, orother vendors. Additional, in a traditional in-store registry, therecipient does not have an opportunity to select from multiple vendors.

Where the gift idea is available from an established vendor, system 100provides the associated cost of that gift idea to the recipient, toassist the recipient with selecting a gift amount associated with thegift idea. Assuming that the vendor supplied cost is current and theproduct or service is available, when the recipient selects that vendorsupplied cost as the gift amount associated with the gift idea, there isa reasonable probability that a giver can purchase that gift idea forthe associated gift amount.

At step 206, the recipient determines whether the gift idea and costfrom established vendors is desired. The instant invention also allowsthe recipient to provide a gift amount that is different from the vendorsupplied cost. For example, if the recipient has determined that thegift idea is available from another source, such as a discount house,there is a possibility that the gift idea is available for less than thecost supplied by established vendor 110. In this example, the discounthouse is not an established vendor of system 100 and therefore theirproducts and services, with associated costs, are not available torecipients and givers through system 100. In another example, the giftidea may not be available from any of the established vendors andrecipient 108 does not know the actual cost of the gift idea. In thiscase, the gift amount may be the recipient's best guess of the cost topurchase the gift idea. In another example, the recipient may know thecost to purchase the gift idea through an established vendor and alsothrough other vendors, and still assigns a gift amount that is less thanthe cost of the gift idea from any of the known vendors. In this case,the recipient is hoping that system 100 will be able to locate the giftidea for less than the known costs. Or, the recipient deciding that theyprefer cash to the gift, sets an artificially low gift amount, knowingthat the gift is unavailable for that gift amount. In this mariner, therecipient can predispose that gift to the gift substitution option orcash option, rather than the gift itself.

At step 210, if the recipient determines that the established vendorsare not able to provide the desired gift idea at the desired giftamount, the recipient provides the desired gift and associated giftamount.

At step 212, if the recipient also knows of a vendor, that is notestablished with system 100, that vendor information is provided tosystem 100.

At step 208, the information regarding the desired gift idea and desiredgift amount is stored in a database of server 128, with vendorinformation if available. The recipient also indicates whether this giftidea is subject to the gift substitution option or cash option, andstores that information in the database of server 128. The giftsubstitution option and cash option is described below in greaterdetail.

At step 214, system 100 determines whether the recipient wants toidentify additional gift ideas, looping to step 204 if there areadditional gift ideas, otherwise ending the registration process.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, the concept of a gift amount associated with a giftidea in the instant invention is illustrated and described within thecontext of an on-line or remote access gift registry system. Thisconcept is also appropriate for a traditional gift registry. However, atraditional gift registry may be disinclined to implement this conceptas their profit source and motive is unclear. The gift substitutionoption, cash option and coupons, described below, help provide anincentive for this concept, even in a traditional gift registry.

Giver Access and Gift Selection

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 3, at step 300, a gift giver 106 who is a userof system 100 similarly accesses system 100 with some form of remoteon-line access, such as through the Internet 104 via their internetconnection 112. In this embodiment, the access of gift giver 106 isthrough a browser application, such as NETSCAPE or INTERNET EXPLORER,that is running on the user's computer, WEBTV or wireless device.

At step 302, once connected to system 100, the gift giver providesidentifying information regarding the recipient so as to access the giftideas of that recipient and learn more about the circumstancessurrounding the recipient's gift registration. For example, recipient108 may provide a password or event name to the gift givers, when theyprovide an invitation to a wedding. It is also envisioned that a URL forthe recipient registry page will be sent by e-mail to gift givers. Thee-mail also includes any password or information required to access theweb page. This allows the gift giver to properly identify the correctrecipient and access the gift ideas and gift amounts. Gift giver 106also provides some identifying information about themselves, as well aspayment information for gift purchases. System 100 uses some of thisinformation for gift payment and delivery and other information formarketing purposes.

At step 304, system 100 determines from on-line database servers 128whether any of the gift ideas of the recipient have a commitment orpartial satisfaction. If there are any commitments or partialsatisfactions, at step 306, system 100 updates the information fordisplay so that all information regarding gift ideas and gift amounts iscurrent.

At step 308, the gift giver reviews the gift ideas and associated giftamounts for the desired recipient.

At step 310, the gift giver selects a gift idea and makes a purchaserequest to system 100 for the gift idea.

At step 312, the gift giver provides a purchase amount to system 100corresponding to the purchase request. The purchase amount may be thesame as the uncommitted balance of the gift amount (with considerationfor commitments by other gift givers and partial satisfaction), or thepurchase amount may be less than the gift amount.

At step 314, system 100 determines whether the gift giver wants toselect other gifts for this recipient, and if so, loops to step 304.

At step 315, system 100 determines whether the gift giver will pay witha credit card, and if so charges the card.

At step 316, system 100 determines whether the gift giver wants toreview gift ideas of another recipient, and if so loops to step 302.

At step 317, system 100 determines whether the gift giver will pay witha check, and if so cashes the check at step 317. At step 317, system 100may wait for an actual check or may arrange for electronic presentmentof a check drawn on the gift giver's account.

At step 318, gift giver 106 disconnects from system 100.

Though not illustrated in FIG. 3, there are additional steps related topayment processing that system 100 performs with the gift giver beforethe giver disconnects from the system. For example, credit card orelectronic payment is provided by system 100 using known types oftransaction processing systems. Encryption or protection for thesensitive aspects of the transaction are also provided by system 100.

Partial Satisfaction

One problem with a traditional gift registry is that a giver hasessentially only two choices for a particular gift. The giver eitherpurchases the entire gift, or does not purchase the gift. This isbecause there is no easy process for a giver to purchase part of a gift,or contribute to the purchase of a gift. This can be particularlyproblematic when the giver arrives late to the registry. The lower costgift ideas are typically gone and the only remaining gift ideas are thecomputer for $3995.00, or the crystal punch bowl for $2485.00. Facedwith these choices, the giver, who isn't interested in spending thatmuch on a gift, purchases the proverbial toaster outside the registry.The recipient, who already has a toaster, must return it. It is veryprobable that the recipient would prefer that the giver make acontribution to one of the items on the registry, rather than make apurchase outside the registry.

With a partial purchase option, the giver can make a commitment for partof the gift amount. The registry records that partial purchase againstthe gift idea so that other givers, can assist with the purchase. Whenenough givers make commitments, the gift can be purchased. If enoughgivers are not committed, the recipient can receive the cash instead andmake up the balance, or do something else with the cash.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 4, after a gift giver has selected a gift ideaand made a purchase request with an associated purchase amount, at step400, system 100 determines whether the purchase amount is equal to orgreater than the gift amount. If so, there are sufficient funds toattempt to satisfy the purchase request at step 408.

If the purchase amount is less than the gift amount, then at step 402,system 100 determines whether other gift givers have made a commitmentor partial satisfaction for that gift idea.

If other gift givers have made a commitment or partial satisfaction;then at step 404, system 100 determines whether the combination of thoseamounts are sufficient to equal or exceed the gift amount. If so, system100 attempts to satisfy the purchase request at step 408.

If the combined amounts are not sufficient to equal or exceed the giftamount, then at step 410, system 100 identifies the purchase request inthe database of server 128 as partially satisfied.

The partial purchase concept can be combined with the gift substitutionoption and cash option described below. For example, a giver, who wantsto commit to part of a gift, will know that if other givers do not makecommitments for that particular gift, the recipient will alternativelyget a substitute gift or cash in the amount of their commitment.

Alternatively, the giver can specify that their commitment to thepurchase request with a partial purchase amount is good only so long asother givers make commitments sufficient to meet the full purchaseamount and thereby satisfy the purchase request. If other givers do notmake the necessary commitments within a period of time, the giver canwithdraw their commitment.

Partial purchase is adaptable to conventional gift registries, if theunderlying databases supporting the registry are suitably adapted. Onerequirement for providing partial purchase is that the database must beupdated and maintained more frequently than once a day. If the giftregistry is maintained by a single establishment or vendor, and giver'scommitments are recorded with the registry when made, the database isalways current and partial purchase is easily accommodated. However, ifthe gift registry is distributed across multiple locations of theestablishment, the database must be updated as actions occur, ratherthan batch processing at the end of the day.

Gift Substitution Option, Cash Option and Name Your Own Gift Amount

In a traditional gift registry, such as a wedding registry, aprospective gift recipient registers with one or more commercialestablishments. When the registration is with a single establishment,there are normally multiple departments within the establishment. Thisallows the recipient to select or identify gifts from the differentareas, at different prices. Thus, china, silver, sheets, linens, kitchenware, bath ware and other assorted gift ideas can be selected. When thegift registration is with multiple co-located establishments, such at ina shopping mall, the gift recipient can register at one store in themall for china, another store in the mall for intimate apparel, anotherstore for sporting goods, etc.

However, the recipient may know that the gift ideas they select at theestablishment are priced at retail, and that the same items areavailable from a discount establishment at a savings. Therefore, thegift recipient, knowing that the same gift is available at a lower pricehas a dilemma. If they register with the retail establishment, the giverwill be able to take advantage of the centralized gift registry, butwill have to pay more for the gift than it could be purchased for at adiscount establishment. However, if the gift recipient does not registerthis gift, gift givers would have no way of knowing that this gift iswanted. Some gift recipient will register the gift at the higher price,and then attempt to return it, taking the cash and buying the same giftat the lower price. This is inconvenient for the recipient. Moreover,some stores have sought to prevent this practice by implementingrestrictive return policies.

The gift substitution option, cash option and name your own gift amountconcepts help to solve the dilemma. A recipient identifies the gift ideawith the registry. However, rather than merely identifying the giftidea, the recipient also provides an associated gift amount for the giftidea. In a traditional gift registry, the gift amount would be the sameas the cost of the gift idea at the registry. However the inventionallows the gift amount to be something other than the retail cost at thetraditional registry. Without the invention, in a traditional giftregistry, the retail establishment is unable to provide the gift at thegift amount without discounting the item. Since discounting outsideplanned sales events is something most registries are not inclined todo, the concept would normally fail.

With the gift substitution option, cash option and name your own giftamount, when the establishment is willing to broker the transactionbetween the giver and the recipient, all parties can gain the advantageof a centralized gift registry. The recipient can register gift ideas ina centralized location and thereby avoid the problem of multipleundesired gifts. The recipient can also reduce the gift cost for thegiver. The giver can determine which gift ideas are desired by therecipient and know that they are not buying a duplicate gift that willbe returned. The giver also receives the advantage of a lower cost forthe gift.

However, without some incentive the registry gains little from the cashoption. The registry profit that normally helps to offset the cost ofestablishing and maintaining the registry, is not available withoutpurchase of a gift. At least for this reason, traditional giftregistries are not inclined to support a cash option.

A problem for a cash option in a traditional gift registry is that theregistry provides the gift amount to the recipient as cash, rather thanselling the gift. Unless the registry takes a percentage of the giftamount as a fee, there must be some form of incentive for the registryto implement a cash option. In the instant invention, one of theseincentives is provided by coupons that accompany the cash option or saleof marketing information. The coupon aspect of the invention isexplained in greater detail below.

In the gift substitution option and cash option, the recipient canindicate that if the registry is unable to satisfy the giver's purchaserequest with a purchase, the recipient will accept a substitute gift, orwants the purchase amount in cash. The recipient may ask the registry toconceal the gift substitution option or cash option from the giver, orthey may ask the registry to inform the giver that if the purchaserequest is not satisfied, the request will be satisfied with the giftsubstitution option or cash option.

In this description, the gift substitution option and the cash optionhave been treated as somewhat distinct options. However, it isreasonable to consider the cash option as a particular form of giftsubstitution, where the gift substitute is not another type of good orservice, but is cash instead.

It is also possible that the recipient does not register any particulargift ideas, but instead registers gift amounts (e.g. cash contributions)in varying amounts. This might be appropriate for a charity, wanting tohave a gift registry, but desiring that all gift contributions be in theform of cash. In this embodiment, the registry may use the marketingtype of information gained from gift givers to help offset the cost ofthe registry. For example, gift givers who have indicated a desire tocontribute cash to the local ballet or theater production company, arelikely to have an interest in other forms of entertainment related tothe ballet or theater. This information can be used to develop targetedcoupons that are provided to the gift recipient in conjunction with agift receipt.

Established and Ad-hoc Vendors

Once a gift giver has selected a gift idea and made a purchase request,with an associated purchase amount, and system 100 has determined thatthe purchase amount is greater than or equal to the gift amount, it ispossible for system 100 to attempt to satisfy the purchase request.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 5, at step 532, system 100 first determineswhether the recipient has selected a mandatory substitution. Themandatory substitution option at step 534 occurs when the recipient saysthat they don't care if the gift is available, they want system 100 tosubstitute for the gift. The substitute can be another gift, or cash.Because a cash substitution is accommodated in a slightly differentmanner than substitution of another gift, the cash option (step 500) isaddressed separately within the mandatory substitution. The cash optionapplies to a particular gift, or to all gifts for that recipient in theregistry. If the cash option is selected, then at step 528, system 100credits the recipient's account with the purchase amount and ends. Thecash option is described elsewhere in greater detail.

If the cash option is not selected, then at step 501, system 100determines whether the recipient has selected a gift substitutionoption. If the gift substitution option is selected, then at step 530,system 100 makes the gift substitution (changes the purchase request tothe substitute gift) and attempts to satisfy the purchase request (ofthe now substituted gift) at step 502. The gift substitution optionapplies to a particular gift, or to all gifts for that recipient in theregistry. The gift substitution option is also described elsewhere ingreater detail.

If the recipient has not selected the gift substitution option at step501, then at step 502, system 100 attempts to satisfy the purchaserequest with established vendors 110 of system 100. These may be vendorswho have an active participation with system 100, such as throughproviding data or access to data to assist the recipient and gift giverwith gift selection, or vendors who actively participate with system 100in an attempt to satisfy outstanding purchase requests. Alternatively,vendors 110 may be passive, relying on system 100 to contact them withoutstanding purchase requests.

The primary distinction between established vendors and ad-hoc vendorsis that system 100 has some form of pre-existing relationship withestablished vendors and has no pre-existing relationship with ad-hocvendors. It is reasonable that over time, ad-hoc vendors becomeestablished vendors, through their interaction with system 100, orthrough contact by system 100 in an attempt to satisfy outstandingpurchase requests.

At step 504, if system 100 is able to satisfy the purchase request atthe purchase amount with an established vendor, that gift idea isconsidered complete within the registry and system 100 begins theprocess of ordering and delivery. The process of ordering and deliverycan take a number of days or weeks. During that time, the recipient maychange their mind regarding the gift substitution option or cash option.Accordingly, before the gift is actually shipped to the recipient, atstep 534, system 100 again determines if the recipient has selected amandatory substitution option. Just as the mandatory substitution optionat step 532 had two steps, so does the mandatory substitution option atstep 534. If system 100 determines that the recipient has selected acash option at step 520, then at step 528, system 100 credits therecipient's account with the purchase amount and ends.

If at step 520, the recipient has not selected the cash option, then atstep 521, system 100 determines whether the recipient has selected thegift substitution option. If so, then at step 530, system 100 cancelsthe order, substitutes the gift and attempts to satisfy the purchaserequest with the now substituted gift at step 502.

If the recipient has not selected the gift substitution option at step521, then at step 522, system 100 arranges shipping of the gift and paysthe vendor.

At step 524, system 100 updates the gift registry database to show giftpurchase, and at step 526, system 100 informs the recipient of thepurchase and provides a token to the giver before ending.

A number of steps are required to maintain and update the databaserecords, complete the purchase of the gift, provide an acknowledgementof the purchase to either or both the recipient and giver, as well asarrange for payment from the gift giver, payment to the vendor andshipment to the desired destination. These are understood to occur instep 522 through 526. Any novel aspects of the invention related tothese additional steps are described in greater detail. The otheraspects, which are readily understood to those of ordinary skill tooccur within the system and method and are not further described herein.

If system 100 was unsuccessful in satisfying the purchase request atstep 504 with established vendors, then at step 506, system 100 attemptsto satisfy the purchase request with ad-hoc vendors. An ad-hoc vendor isone that does not have a pre-existing relationship with system 100.However, that does not mean that the identity of the ad-hoc vendor isunknown to system 100. For example, when the gift recipient selects agift idea and associated gift amount, they have an opportunity to alsoidentify a vendor that they believe may be able to provide that giftidea at that gift amount. This is particularly helpful when the giftidea is unusual, or not commonly given as a gift. System 100 maintainsinformation on ad-hoc vendors in server database 128.

At step 508, if system 100 was able to satisfy the purchase request withan ad-hoc vendor, system 100 begins the process of ordering and shippingthe gift before again determining if the recipient has selected a cashoption at step 520.

At step 510, if system 100 was unable to satisfy the purchase requestwith either established or ad-hoc vendors, system 100 determines whetherthe failure is due to inability to locate a vendor that can provide thegift at any price. If system 100 could not locate a vendor who cansatisfy the gift idea, the recipient is so informed at step 512 and therecipient is provided an opportunity to provide an identity of an ad-hocvendor that maybe able to satisfy the gift. At step 514, if therecipient provides additional information, system 100 again attempts tosatisfy the purchase request at step 502.

If the recipient does not provide additional information at step 514,then at step 538, system 100 determines whether the recipient hasselected a contingent substitution option. A contingent substitutionoccurs when the gift recipient says that they want system 100 tosubstitute another gift or cash if and only if the desired gift isunavailable at the price that the recipient has listed, or can not bedelivered on time.

Just as the mandatory substitution option included two tests, so doesthe contingent substitution option (step 536). At step 538, system 100determines whether the recipient has selected contingent substitution.If not, then at step 542, system 100 credits the gift giver's accountand ends.

If the recipient has selected contingent substitution, then at step 540,system 100 determines whether that contingent substitution is cash. Ifso, then at step 528, system 100 credits the recipient's account andends. If not, system 100 substitutes the contingent gift at step 530 andattempts to satisfy the request at step 502.

If system 100 determines that the gift was located at step 510, then atstep 516, system 100 determines whether the purchase request can besatisfied if it is modified.

If system 100 determines that a modified purchase request can not besatisfied at step 516, then at step 538, system 100 determines whetherthe recipient has selected the contingent substitution option (step536), as described above.

If a modified purchase request can be satisfied, then at step 518,system 100 determines whether the recipient will accept themodification.

If system 100 determines at step 518 that the recipient will accept themodified purchase request, then system 100 attempts to satisfy thepurchase request at step 502. If not, then system 100 determines whetherthe recipient has selected the contingent substitution option (step536), as described above.

Vendor Contact and Bidding

There are number of different embodiments for contacting vendors, oncegift givers have made purchase requests with associated purchaseamounts. One embodiment uses a primarily serial approach. Anotherembodiment uses a primarily parallel approach. Another embodiment usesan auction type approach. These embodiments can be somewhat combinedwith each other so that an auction is used with a parallel approach. Itis also possible that when the vendors are contacted, they are initiallypresented with a firm offer that is priced below the purchase amountindicated by a gift giver. The amount of the firm offer is in thenincremented until a vendor accepts the offer, or the gift giver'spurchase amount is reached. In this manner, system 100 attempts to getthe best price for the gift. Any savings can be refunded to the giftgiver, provided to the recipient as cash, or retained by the system asprofit.

In one embodiment for contacting vendors, system 100 actively seeksvendor responses by sending or providing purchase requests to thevendors. The vendors either respond to those requests, or ignore them.An example of this active approach would be use of e-mail, fax, pager,or telephone to send or provide the request to the vendor. This activeapproach may use any of a number of different techniques.

In another embodiment for contacting vendors, system 100 is more passiveand makes purchase requests available to the vendors. The vendors areable to review these requests and may respond to the requests, or ignorethem. An example of this more passive approach would be use of a webpage, or bulletin board. This more passive approach may also use any ofa number of different techniques. Thus, one difference between theactive and more passive approach is whether the system provides therequests to the vendors, or whether the system merely makes the requestsavailable to the vendors.

Aspects of these embodiments for contacting vendors and bidding aredescribed in greater detail below.

Serial Approach

In a serial embodiment, system 100 sends a firm offer for purchase, or asolicitation for an offer (such as provided within the UniformCommercial Code) to each vendor and waits for the vendor to reply. Oncea vendor has accepted the -firm offer for purchase or the vendorresponds to the solicitation with an offer and system 100 accepts thevendor offer, the gift is accepted and system 100 asks the vendor todeliver the gift. The steps in this embodiment are summarized in FIG. 6.At step 602, system 100 selects all gifts that need to be purchased, andarranges the gifts in a list.

At step 604, system 100 categorizes and aggregates identical gifts onthe list. For example, if three different registries need threeidentical items, system 100 aggregates the individual registry itemsinto a single order for three of the same item, with three differentdelivery zip codes. Step 604 includes other steps, which are illustratedmore fully in FIG. 7.

At step 606, system 100 selects a vendor for each gift from the list.Step 606 includes other steps, which are illustrated more fully in FIG.8.

At step 608, system 100 creates orders from the list to send to eachvendor. Step 608 includes other steps, which are illustrated more fullyin FIG. 9.

At step 610, system 100 processes each vendor order as it is received.Step 610 includes other steps, which are illustrated more fully in FIG.10.

At step 612, system 100 updates the order status.

FIG. 7 illustrates an embodiment for categorizing and aggregating giftsfrom the list. At step 702, system 100 begins a loop through each giftin the list.

At step 704, system 100 selects the next gift from the list.

At step 706, system 100 categorizes the gift based on the descriptionand name.

At step 708, system 100 determines whether the gift was categorized, andif not, at step 710, system 100 arranges for a manual categorization ofthe gift.

At step 712, system 100 determines whether additional gifts remain tocategorize on the list, and if so, loops to step 704. If not,categorization ends at step 714.

FIG. 8 illustrates an embodiment for selecting a vendor for gifts on thelist. At step 802, system 100 begins to select vendors.

At step 804, system 100 selects the next gift from the list.

At step 806, system 100 finds an established vendor based on the giftcategorization and indications of which vendor can provide the gift.

At step 808, system 100 determines whether a established vendor wasidentified from the list. If so, then at step 810, system 100 selectsthe best established vendor and assigns a gift with a bid to thatvendor. Step 810 includes additional steps, which are illustrated inFIG. 11.

If an established vendor was not identified at step 808, then at step814, system 100 determines whether an ad-hoc vendor if available. If so,then at step 816, system 100 designates the ad-hoc vendor as a newvendor and adds them to the list of established vendors. At step 818,system 100 selects the best ad-hoc vendor and assigns a gift with a bidto that vendor.

If system 100 could not locate an ad-hoc vendor at step 814, then atstep 820, system 100 notifies the recipient that the gift wasunavailable and therefore contingent substitution has taken place. Ifthe contingent substitution is for cash, then the account of the giftrecipient is credited, and the process ends. If the contingentsubstitution is for another gift, then the substitution is made and wego back to the start. If there was no contingent substitution, the giftgiver's account is credited. Step 820 includes additional steps, whichare illustrated in FIG. 12.

At step 812, system 100 determines whether additional gifts remain thatrequire vendors, and if so, loops to step 804.

At step 822, system 100 completes the vendor selection.

FIG. 9 illustrates an embodiment for creating and sending orders fromthe list to vendors. At step 902, system 100 begins to generate ordersfrom the list.

At step 904, system 100 selects the next unprocessed order.

At step 906, system 100 sends the order to the vendor. The orderincludes bid, quantity, zip codes for each gift. The order is sent bythe method most appropriate for the vendor, and may include e-mail,mail, fax, telephone, or a direct connection.

At step 908, system 100 determines whether additional orders remain tobe sent, and if so, loops to step 904.

At step 910, system completes sending orders from the list.

FIG. 10 illustrates an embodiment for processing vendor orders as theyare received. At step 1002, system 100 begins to process vendor orders.

At step 1004, system 100 selects the next unprocessed gift from thelist.

At step 1006, system 100 determines the bid status of the gift. If thestatus is indicated as rejected, then at step 1026, system 100 updatesthe gift status to rejected and checks for more gifts at step 1028.

If at step 1006, system 100 determines that the bid status is counteroffer, then at step 1016, system 100 determines whether the vendor priceis greater than the purchase price. If so, then at step 1025, system 100determines whether the counter offer terms are acceptable to therecipient. If the terms are not acceptable, then at step 1026, system100 updates the gift status as rejected by this vendor.

If at step 1016, system 100 determines that the vendor price is nothigher than the purchased price, then at step 1018, system 100determines whether the vendor can deliver on time. If not, then at step1025, system 100 determines whether the counter offer terms areacceptable to the recipient. If the terms are not acceptable, then atstep 1026, system 100 updates the gift status as rejected by thisvendor.

If at step 1018, system 100 determines that the vendor can deliver ontime, then at step 1020, system 100 determines whether vendor 100 iscounter offering with a different model. If so, then at step 1025,system 100 determines whether the counter offer terms are acceptable tothe recipient. If the terms are not acceptable, then at step 1026,system 100 updates the gift status as rejected by this vendor.

If at step 1020, system 100 determines that the model is the same, thenat step 1027, system 100 determines whether the other counter offerterms are significant. If the counter offer terms are significant, thenat step 1025, system 100 determines whether the counter offer terms areacceptable to the recipient. If the terms are not acceptable, then atstep 1026, system 100 updates the gift status as rejected by thisvendor.

If at step 1027, the other counter offer terms are not significant, thenat step 1008, system 100 updates the gift status to purchased andinforms the recipient of shipment at step 1010. Step 1010 includesadditional steps, which are illustrated in FIG. 13.

If at step 1006, system 100 determines that the bid status is modifiedacceptance, then at step 1012, system 100 determines whether the vendorquantity is less than the purchased quantity. If so, then at step 1013,system 100 modifies the remaining quantity.

If at step 1012, system 100 determines that the vendor quantity is notless than the purchased quantity, then at step 1014, system 100determines whether the vendor price is less than the bid price. If so,then at step 1015, the difference is given to the recipient.

If the vendor prices is not less than the bid price, then at step 1008,system 100 updates the gift status to purchased from this vendor, and atstep 1010, notifies the recipient that the gift is being delivered.

If at step 1006, system 100 determines that the bid status is accepted,then at step 1008, system 100 updates the gift status to purchased fromthis vendor, and at step 1010, system 100 notifies the gift recipientthat the gift is being delivered.

If at step 1006, system 100 determines that the bid status is unchanged,then at step 1030, system 100 determines whether a pre-set time limithas expired. If so, then at step 1032, system 100 arranges for manualintervention, and checks for more gifts at step 1028.

If at step 1030, system 100 determines that the pre-set time limit isnot expired, then at step 1028, system 100 checks for more gifts.

If at step 1028, system 100 determines there are additional gifts, thenit arranges to loop to step 1004. If not, system 100 ends this set ofprocessing steps at step 1034.

FIG. 11 illustrates an embodiment for selecting the best vendor. Thoughthe steps illustrated here are particularly appropriate for a serialbidding embodiment, they can also be used for a parallel offerembodiment when multiple vendors respond within the deadline and aselection among responding vendors is required.

At step 1100, system 100 begins the steps to selection the best vendor.

At step 1102, system 100 selects the next vendor for consideration:

At step 1104, system 100 determines whether a bid has already been sentto this vendor. If so, and only if all bids were unsuccessful on thefirst pass, then at step 1106, system 100 determines whether the bid hasbeen sent Z times to the vendor. If it has, system 100 loops to step1102. If not, then at step 1108, system 100 updates the number of timesthe bid has been sent to the vendor.

If at step 1104, system 100 determined that a bid has not already beensent to this vendor, then at step 1110, system 100 computes the bestsupplier ratio for the vendor, and at step 1112, stores the ratio andaverage discount.

The process of computing the best supplier ratio at step 1110 includes anumber of factors and is a function of bid hit ratio (number of acceptedbids/number of bids sent), modified hit ratio (number of accepted bidsfor category/number of bids for category), commission or discount,tenure (how long the vendor relationship has existed), speed ofdelivery, delivery ratio (number of on-time deliveries/number ofaccepted offers), average shipping costs, complaint ratio (number ofcomplaints/number of accepted offers), payment terms, and subjectivefactors such as whether to encourage a particular vendor.

At step 1114, system 100 determines whether there are additional vendorsfor consideration, and if so, loops to step 1102.

If at step 1114 no additional vendors need consideration, then at step1116, system 100 selects the vendor with the best or highest supplierratio.

At step 1118, system 100 computes the bid. The bid is a function ofmarket price of a gift, recipient's price of the gift, bid hit ratio,category margin/discount by vendor and number of times the bid has beensent to the supplier.

At step 1120, system 100 determines whether the bid should be manuallyadjusted. If so, then at step 1122, the bid is manually entered.

At step 1124, system 100 completes the steps to select the best vendor.

FIG. 12 illustrates an embodiment for notifying the recipient that thegift will be in cash form. At step 1200, system 100 begins by computingthe quantity remaining.

At step 1202, system 100 determines whether the quantity remaining isless than the quantity requested by the recipient. If it is not, then atstep 1204, system 100 notifies the recipient that the gift will be in acash form.

At step 1206, system 100 computes the cash component, and at step 1208,notifies the recipient that part of the gift will be delivered, and partwill be in a cash form.

At step 1210, system 100 completes the step for the cash form of gift.

FIG. 13 illustrates and embodiment for notifying the recipient that thegift is being delivered. At step 1300, system 100 begins the steps tonotify the recipient that the gift is being delivered. The notificationis typically by e-mail, but any form that is designated by the recipientis appropriate, such as mail, fax or telephone call.

At step 1302, system 100 determines whether the gift has been delivered.This is based on a delivery notification from the vendor or shippingagent. If not, at step 1304, system 100 waits for a deliverynotification, and loops to step 1302.

If the gift has been delivered, as provided by the delivery notificationfrom the vendor or shipping, then at step 1306, system 100 updates thestatus as delivered.

At step 1308, system 100 sends the actual notification to the recipient,and completes the notification process at step 1310.

This completes a description of an embodiment for serial allocation ofgift bids to a plurality of vendors.

Parallel Approach

In a parallel embodiment, system 100 sends a request for a firm offer tomultiple vendors in parallel and then determines which of the respondingoffers to select. Once a gift has been accepted, system 100 asks thevendor to deliver the gift. The steps in this embodiment are summarizedin FIG. 14. At step 1402, system 100 selects all gifts that need to bepurchased, and arranges the gifts in a list.

At step 1404, system 100 categorizes and aggregates identical gifts onthe list. For example, if three different registries need threeidentical items, system 100 aggregates the individual registry itemsinto a single order for three of the same item, with three differentdelivery zip codes. Step 1404 includes other steps, which areillustrated more fully in FIG. 7.

At step 1406, system 100 selects one or more vendors to be contacted foreach gift or aggregated gifts from the list. This is somewhat like ashotgun, where multiple request for offers are sent to many vendors atthe same time. Step 1406 includes other steps, which are illustratedmore fully in FIG. 15.

At step 1408, system 100 creates requests for offers from the list tosend to each vendor. Step 1408 includes other steps, which areillustrated more fully in FIG. 16.

At step 1410, system 100 processes each vendor offer as it is received.Step 1410 includes other steps, which are illustrated more fully in FIG.17.

At step 1412, system 100 updates the request for offer status.

As described above, FIG. 7 illustrates an embodiment for categorizingand aggregating gifts from the list. At step 702, system 100 begins aloop through each gift in the list.

At step 704, system 100 selects the next gift from the list.

At step 706, system 100 categorizes the gift based on the descriptionand name.

At step 708, system 100 determines whether the gift was categorized, andif not, at step 710, system 100 arranges for a manual categorization ofthe gift.

At step 712, system 100 determines whether additional gifts remain tocategorize on the list, and if so, loops to step 704. If not,categorization ends at step 714.

FIG. 15 illustrates an embodiment for selecting vendors for gifts on thelist. At step 1502, system 100 begins to select vendors.

At step 1504, system 100 selects the next gift from the list.

At step 1506, system 100 finds established vendors based on the giftcategorization and indications of which vendor can provide the gift.

At step 1508, system 100 determines whether established vendors wereidentified from the list. If so, then at step 1510, system 100 assignseach vendor to a gift and asks the vendor for an offer price for thegift.

If an established vendor was not identified at step 1508, then at step1514, system 100 determines whether one or more ad-hoc vendors areavailable. If so, then at step 1516, system 100 designates each ad-hocvendor as a new vendor and adds them to the list of established vendors.At step 1518, system 100 sends the gift details to each new vendor andasks them for an offer price for the gift.

If system 100 could not locate an ad-hoc vendor at step 1514, then atstep 1520, system 100 notifies the recipient that contingentsubstitution will occur. Step 1520 includes additional steps, which areillustrated in FIG. 12.

At step 1512, system 100 determines whether additional gifts remain thatrequire vendors, and if so, loops to step 1504.

At step 1522, system 100 completes the vendor selection.

FIG. 16 illustrates an embodiment for creating and sending orders fromthe list to the vendors. At step 1602, system 100 begins to generateorders from the list.

At step 1604, system 100 selects the next unprocessed order.

At step 1606, system 100 sends the order to the vendor. The orderincludes deadline, quantity, zip codes for each gift. The order is sentby the method most appropriate for the vendor, and may include e-mail,mail, fax, telephone, or a direct connection.

At step 1608, system 100 determines whether additional orders remain tobe sent, and if so, loops to step 1604.

At step 1610, system completes sending orders from the list.

FIG. 17 illustrates an embodiment for processing vendor orders at theexpiration of the deadline. At step 1702, system 100 begins to processvendor orders.

At step 1704, system 100 selects the next unprocessed gift from thelist.

At step 1706, system 100 determines the offer status of the gift. If thestatus is indicated as no reply/no offer received, then at step 1708,system 100 discards the offer and at step 1710, updates the vendorstatus as rejected for that offer.

If at step 1706, system 100 determines that the offer status is offerreceived, then at step 1712, system 100 correlates the offer with thestatus on the list.

At step 1714, system 100 determines whether there are any more gifts. Ifso, then system 100 loops to step 1704.

At step 1716, system 100 determines whether there are any offers whichare acceptable. If not, then at step 1718, system 100 notifies therecipient that the gift will be in cash form.

At step 1718, system 100 selects the best of the acceptable offers. Thisselection considers the offer price, delivery, commission or discount,tenure (how long the vendor relationship has existed), speed ofdelivery, delivery ratio (number of on-time deliveries/number ofaccepted offers); average shipping costs, complaint ratio (number ofcomplaints/number of accepted offers), payment terms, highest quantity,and subjective factors such as whether to encourage a particular vendor.

At step 1720, system 100 updates the gift status to purchased andinforms the recipient of shipment at step 1722. Step 1722 includesadditional steps, which are illustrated in FIG. 13.

As described above, FIG. 12 illustrates an embodiment for notifying therecipient that the gift will be in cash form. At step 1200, system 100begins by computing the quantity remaining.

At step 1202, system 100 determines whether the quantity remaining isless than the quantity requested by the recipient. If it is not, then atstep 1204, system 100 notifies the recipient that the gift will be in acash form.

At step 1206, system 100 computes the cash component, and at step 1208,notifies the recipient that part of the gift will be delivered, and partwill be in a cash form.

At step 1210, system 100 completes the step for the cash form of gift.

As described above, FIG. 13 illustrates and embodiment for notifying therecipient that the gift is being delivered. At step 1300, system 100begins the steps to notify the recipient that the gift is beingdelivered. The notification is typically by e-mail, but any form that isdesignated by the recipient is appropriate, such as mail, fax ortelephone call.

At step 1302, system 100 determines whether the gift has been delivered.This is based on a delivery notification from the vendor or shippingagent. If not, at step 1304, system 100 waits for a deliverynotification, and loops to step 1302.

If the gift has been delivered, as provided by the delivery notificationfrom the vendor or shipping, then at step 1306, system 100 updates thestatus as delivered.

At step 1308, system 100 sends the actual notification to the recipient,and completes the notification process at step 1310.

Auction Approach

In an auction embodiment, system 100 posts an order in an accessibleinteractive on-line location, such as at a web page, that is accessibleby multiple vendors and then conducts an auction for the desired giftwith associated delivery conditions. The system may actively informpotential vendors of the order, or passively post the order and awaitvendors. In the auction embodiment, instead of attempting to develop thehighest price for the gift, the auction attempts to develop the lowestprice for the gift within the acceptable delivery terms. In oneembodiment, the auction is blind, with individual vendor identity hiddenfrom others, while in another embodiment, the auction is open withvendors able to determine who the other participants are. The auction istimed, with the vendor offering the best price and delivery terms at theend of the auction being automatically selected. Once the auction forthe gift is closed, system 100 arranges for the vendor to deliver thegift.

Published Firm Offer

In one embodiment, an alternative approach is first-come-first serve.Each available offer is posted as a firm offer along with the maximumprice and the zip code of the gift recipient. The first vendor toindicate acceptance of the posted offer binds the system and thereforegets the deal. The firm offer is subsequently removed from the web site.This embodiment includes various steps (not illustrated) to ensure thatonly one vendor can accept any single firm offer.

Coupon Supplement

As indicated above, one of the reasons that traditional gift registryservices may not provide a cash option is that the profit source ormotive is unclear. With the increasing understanding that information isa commodity with value, the opportunities for profit using informationgained through a transaction are better understood. For example, whenthe recipient registers with system 100, there is certain informationthat can be learned directly, or readily inferred from the circumstancesof the registration. The recipient's address and telephone numberprovide information to identify them. The recipient also providesinformation regarding the gift event (wedding, birthday, graduationetc.) The recipient similarly identifies certain near-term wants ordesires. All of this is valuable marketing information that is directlylinked to a particular consumer. The information is part of therecipient profile, which can be used to predict future purchases andspending habits. The information is also helpful in identifyingindividuals who have recently undergone transition in their life-stylewith an associated change in their habits.

The instant invention uses this information as a profit source to helpoffset the cost of operation that would normally be covered by profitfrom the sale of goods/services. For example, if a recipient hasidentified a television as a gift idea, and has provided a correspondinggift amount for the television that is less than the retail cost fromestablished vendors, normally they would not get the television. If therecipient has selected contingent substitution into cash, system 100will determine that the recipient desires to receive cash if the gift isnot available at the gift amount. The fact that the recipient desires topurchase the television, and now has just received cash with which tomake his purchase is valuable information. Instead of merely providingthe cash to the recipient, system 100 uses this information to locaterelated coupons to include with the cash.

For example, a discount coupon for a particular television brand isavailable, allowing the recipient to purchase that brand television foronly slightly more than the gift amount. When system 100 provides thatcoupon with the cash, the recipient is strongly influenced to purchasethat brand television rather than another brand. The discount televisioncoupon was targeted to an individual who has expressed a near-terminterest in purchasing a television, who has also identified theirpurchase price range, and who has the means with which to make thepurchase. The individual is as they say, “ready, willing and able.” Thisis extremely valuable information. The potential return on the marketinginvestment is much greater for this coupon, as compared to otherdistribution sources. Accordingly, the television manufacturer iswilling to pay a premium to have system 100 include their coupon with acash option.

Although illustrative embodiments have been described herein in detail,it should be noted and will be appreciated by those skilled in the artthat numerous variations may be made within the scope of this inventionwithout departing from the principle of this invention and withoutsacrificing its chief advantages.

One variation of the invention includes user access of the system fromwithin an establishment, such as using a computer at the establishment,or a computer at a shopping mall.

In one variation, the gift is anonymous, with system 100 concealing thegift giver's identity from the recipient.

In one variation, the gift recipient registers a cash gift as the giftidea with the desired cash amount as the gift idea. The gift giver thenmakes a gift of cash by selecting that cash gift as the purchase requestwith associated purchase amount. Accordingly, in FIG. 5, the decisionflow may assume that the gift is a cash option (step 500), and the cashgift is then directly credited to the recipients account at step 528.Alternatively, the decision flow may follow the other decision steps inFIG. 5 but the shipping at step 522 occurs through credit of therecipient account rather than a physical package.

In one variation, it is also possible that a traditional establishmenthandles all of the recipient interface to system 100. In this variation,system 100 is transparent to the recipient and the additionalenhancements provided by the invention (gift substitution option, cashoption, coupons, tokens, etc.) appear to be enhancements of a normalin-store gift registry.

Unless otherwise specifically stated, the terms and expressions havebeen used herein as terms of description and not terms of limitation.There is no intention to use the terms or expressions to exclude anyequivalents of features shown and described or portions thereof and thisinvention should be defined in accordance with the claims that follow.

1-194. (canceled)
 195. A method for enabling a plurality of gift giversto make a contribution toward an uncommitted balance of a gift for agift recipient, the method comprising: transmitting via a network to acomputer device associated with at least one of the plurality of giftgivers an indication of the uncommitted balance of the gift; receivingvia the network from at least one of the computer devices at least onecommitment for an amount towards the uncommitted balance of the gift,where the amount is for less than all of the uncommitted balance;generating an updated indication of the uncommitted balance of the giftbased on the received commitment; and transmitting via the network to acomputer device of at least one of the plurality of gift givers theupdated indication.
 196. The method of claim 195, further comprising:generating a purchase request for the gift if the uncommitted balance isless than or equal to zero.
 197. The method of claim 195, wherein thenetwork is the Internet.
 198. The method of claim 195, wherein the giftcomprises at least one gift selected from a catalog of a retailer. 199.The method of claim 195, wherein the gift comprises at least one giftselected from an online marketplace.
 200. The method of claim 199,wherein the online marketplace includes at least one vendor.
 201. Themethod of claim 195, wherein the gift is selected by the gift recipient.202. The method of claim 195, wherein the gift comprises a cashsubstitution.
 203. The method of claim 202, wherein the cashsubstitution is a gift card.
 204. A system configured to enable aplurality of gift givers to make a contribution toward an uncommittedbalance of a gift for a gift recipient, the system comprising: acommunications interface for communicating via a network with at leastone computer device associated with a plurality of gift givers; and aprocessor in communication with the communications interface, theprocessor configured to: provide the communications interface anindication of the uncommitted balance of the gift for transmission viathe network to a computer device associated with at least one of theplurality of gift givers; receive from the communications interface atleast one commitment for an amount towards the uncommitted balance ofthe gift, where the amount is for less than all of the uncommittedbalance, wherein the communications interface received the at least onecommitment via the network from at least one of the computer devices;generate an updated indication of the uncommitted balance of the giftbased on the received commitment; and provide the communicationsinterface with the updated indication for transmission via the networkto a computer device of at least one of the plurality of gift givers.205. The system of claim 204, wherein the gift comprises at least onegift selected from a catalog of a retailer.
 206. The system of claim204, wherein the gift comprises at least one gift selected from anonline marketplace.
 207. The system of claim 206, wherein the onlinemarketplace includes at least one vendor.
 208. The system of claim 204,wherein the gift is selected by the gift recipient.
 209. The system ofclaim 204, wherein the processor is further configured to: generate apurchase request for the gift if the uncommitted balance is less than orequal to zero.
 210. The system of claim 209, wherein the processor isfurther configured to: generate a request to send a message once thepurchase request has been generated.
 211. The system of claim 210,wherein the message is one of an electronic mail message and a textmessage.
 212. The system of claim 209, wherein the processor is furtherconfigured to: generate a request to send a message once the purchaserequest has been satisfied.
 213. The system of claim 212, wherein themessage is one of an electronic mail message and a text message. 214.The system of claim 209, wherein the processor is further configured to:receive a notification that the purchase request has been satisfied.215. The system of claim 214, wherein the processor is furtherconfigured to: generate a request to send a message once the purchaserequest has been generated.
 216. The system of claim 215, wherein themessage is one of an electronic mail message and a text message. 217.The system of claim 214, wherein the processor is further configured to:generate a request to send a message once the purchase request has beensatisfied.
 218. The system of claim 217, wherein the message is one ofan electronic mail message and a text message.
 219. The system of claim204, wherein the network is the Internet.